Learning and knowledge accumulation's processes in the argentinian auto parts firms

From the early 1990, there is a process of modernization of the automotive industry in Argentina that modifies both the required skills and methods of learning processes in the automakers and auto parts suppliers. The local automakers permanently cease its efforts to launch new models using the adaptive design procedure on the basis of models discontinued in developed countries and begin to introduce models of cars from the latest technology completely designed and developed in the laboratories of their headquarters. This modernization process was accompanied and underpinned by a sharp decline in the national minimum required components for the automobile to be considered as national. Thus, the automakers had large margins of freedom to replace with foreign suppliers by increasing the local supply is not suited to their demands in terms of design, technological complexity, quality, price, etc.. In this context, the ability to design and adaptation of products - it was a very important competitive asset for auto parts companies until the early 1980 - was no longer relevant. The companies failed to design the products they made, and went on to produce goods according to the plans of the automakers. They did not allow local suppliers to make changes, however small these were. In return, the need to reduce costs, improve quality and reduce delivery times to avoid being displaced by internal or external competition, pressure generated hitherto unknown in the auto parts producers to make more efficient production processes and change their traditional organizational forms, it they required the completion of a major effort which appealed to both external sources of knowledge as cumulative competence within the companies themselves In addition, the nineties were characterized by entry into the country of major international auto parts, through direct investment or joint ventures with domestic firms. As a result of these changes in the automotive and auto parts increased the importance of technology transfer from abroad as a source of knowledge for productive modernization. This scenario is extended, albeit with some changes to the current decade. On the one hand, the automotive industry crisis that manifested itself in all its harshness in 2001 and 2002 sharply reduced production volumes as auto parts companies had to adapt its structure to the new situation. Success in this task was strongly related to the existence of internal powers to enable them to cut costs, reduce production scales, introducing new products, find new customers, etc. Companies were not able to implement these changes, a situation that included several subsidiaries of major international companies, had to leave the market. For its part, the new macroeconomic scenario in the country installed after the 2002 devaluation led to renewed interest in the terminals to increase the degree of national integration, vehicle manufacturing, opening up new possibilities and new demands for local producers. They also began to develop some experience, but emerging patterns of delegation and participation of local auto parts makers in international design projects. Framed in this picture, the overall objective of this work is to investigate in an exploratory way, sources and forms of learning and the accumulation of productive knowledge of auto parts companies in Argentina. The paper is structured as follows. The section II describes the theoretical framework underlying the analysis and presents the hypotheses guiding the research. Section III mentions the sources of information used, and the next section describes the behavior of firms in relation to the analysis of key variables, namely: technical assistance or technology transfer, internal and external efforts made to enable or facilitate the introduction of innovations, the level of endogenous capabilities and innovative performance. Section V presents the main results of the analysis, that shows 5 groups that differ according to the characteristics of firms that adopt the processes of learning and knowledge accumulation and the related innovation performance. Finally, we present the main conclusions.Learning Process; Knowlegde's Accumulation; Innovation; Automotive Production Network; Argentina

Estímulos y Obstáculos a la Modernización Productiva en el Sector Autopartista de Córdoba

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar los principales factores que inciden en las decisiones de modernización productiva de las empresas autopartistas localizadas en la Ciudad de Córdoba. En la primera parte del artículo se desarrolla una caracterización de las empresas de la muestra de 17 empresas autopartistas radicadas en la ciudad de Córdoba y alrededores, que venden al menos parte de su producción a las terminales automotrices. Posteriormente, se describe el tipo y las características de las relaciones comerciales que establecen con sus principales clientes, en especial con las terminales automotrices. Seguidamente se analizan las actividades de cooperación con otras firmas e instituciones para determinar la importancia y las fuentes de asistencia técnica y transferencia de tecnología. La información así obtenida se cruza con las actividades de innovación de las empresas para identificar los factores que inducen la modernización productiva del sector

Procesos de aprendizaje y de acumulación de conocimiento en las empresas autopartistas argentinas

From the early 1990, there is a process of modernization of the automotive industry in Argentina that modifies both the required skills and methods of learning processes in the automakers and auto parts suppliers. The local automakers permanently cease its efforts to launch new models using the adaptive design procedure on the basis of models discontinued in developed countries and begin to introduce models of cars from the latest technology completely designed and developed in the laboratories of their headquarters. This modernization process was accompanied and underpinned by a sharp decline in the national minimum required components for the automobile to be considered as national. Thus, the automakers had large margins of freedom to replace with foreign suppliers by increasing the local supply is not suited to their demands in terms of design, technological complexity, quality, price, etc.. In this context, the ability to design and adaptation of products - it was a very important competitive asset for auto parts companies until the early 1980 - was no longer relevant. The companies failed to design the products they made, and went on to produce goods according to the plans of the automakers. They did not allow local suppliers to make changes, however small these were. In return, the need to reduce costs, improve quality and reduce delivery times to avoid being displaced by internal or external competition, pressure generated hitherto unknown in the auto parts producers to make more efficient production processes and change their traditional organizational forms, it they required the completion of a major effort which appealed to both external sources of knowledge as cumulative competence within the companies themselves In addition, the nineties were characterized by entry into the country of major international auto parts, through direct investment or joint ventures with domestic firms. As a result of these changes in the automotive and auto parts increased the importance of technology transfer from abroad as a source of knowledge for productive modernization. This scenario is extended, albeit with some changes to the current decade. On the one hand, the automotive industry crisis that manifested itself in all its harshness in 2001 and 2002 sharply reduced production volumes as auto parts companies had to adapt its structure to the new situation. Success in this task was strongly related to the existence of internal powers to enable them to cut costs, reduce production scales, introducing new products, find new customers, etc. Companies were not able to implement these changes, a situation that included several subsidiaries of major international companies, had to leave the market. For its part, the new macroeconomic scenario in the country installed after the 2002 devaluation led to renewed interest in the terminals to increase the degree of national integration, vehicle manufacturing, opening up new possibilities and new demands for local producers. They also began to develop some experience, but emerging patterns of delegation and participation of local auto parts makers in international design projects. Framed in this picture, the overall objective of this work is to investigate in an exploratory way, sources and forms of learning and the accumulation of productive knowledge of auto parts companies in Argentina. The paper is structured as follows. The section II describes the theoretical framework underlying the analysis and presents the hypotheses guiding the research. Section III mentions the sources of information used, and the next section describes the behavior of firms in relation to the analysis of key variables, namely: technical assistance or technology transfer, internal and external efforts made to enable or facilitate the introduction of innovations, the level of endogenous capabilities and innovative performance. Section V presents the main results of the analysis, that shows 5 groups that differ according to the characteristics of firms that adopt the processes of learning and knowledge accumulation and the related innovation performance. Finally, we present the main conclusions

Pharmacological Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin in β-Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease: An Updated Perspective

A significant amount of attention has recently been devoted to the mechanisms involved in hemoglobin (Hb) switching, as it has previously been established that the induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production in significant amounts can reduce the severity of the clinical course in diseases such as beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD). While the induction of HbF using lentiviral and genome-editing strategies has been made possible, they present limitations. Meanwhile, progress in the use of pharmacologic agents for HbF induction and the identification of novel HbF-inducing strategies has been made possible as a result of a better understanding of gamma-globin regulation. In this review, we will provide an update on all current pharmacological inducer agents of HbF in beta-thalassemia and SCD in addition to the ongoing research into other novel, and potentially therapeutic, HbF-inducing agents

Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica - ANEEL: Lei nº 9.427, de 26 de dezembro de 1996

- Divulgação dos SUMÁRIOS das obras recentemente incorporadas ao acervo da Biblioteca Ministro Oscar Saraiva do STJ. Em respeito à Lei de Direitos Autorais, não disponibilizamos a obra na íntegra.- Localização na estante: 35.078.2(81)(094) Coment. S132a v.1- Coordenado por: Irene Patrícia Diom Nohara, Fabrício Motta e Marco Praxedes

Heme Biosynthetic Gene Expression Analysis With dPCR in Erythropoietic Protoporphyria Patients

Background: The heme biosynthesis (HB) involves eight subsequent enzymatic steps. Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the ferrochelatase (FECH) gene, which in the last HB step inserts ferrous iron into protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) to form heme.Aim and method: The aim of this work was to for the first time analyze the mRNA expression of all HB genes in peripheral blood samples of patients with EPP having the same genotype FECH c.[215dupT]; [315-48T > C] as compared to healthy controls by highly sensitive and specific digital PCR assays (dPCR).Results: We confirmed a decreased FECH mRNA expression in patients with EPP. Further, we found increased ALAS2 and decreased ALAS1, CPOX, PPOX and HMBS mRNA expression in patients with EPP compared to healthy controls. ALAS2 correlated with FECH mRNA expression (EPP: r = 0.63, p = 0.03 and controls: r = 0.68, p = 0.02) and blood parameters like PPIX (EPP: r = 0.58 p = 0.06).Conclusion: Our method is the first that accurately quantifies HB mRNA from blood samples with potential applications in the monitoring of treatment effects of mRNA modifying therapies in vivo, or investigation of the HB pathway and its regulation. However, our findings should be studied in separated blood cell fractions and on the enzymatic level

Innovation processes and competences of human resources in the software industry of Argentina

El objetivo de este artículo es contribuir al análisis de los factores que influyen en el proceso de innovación de las empresas de software y servicios informáticos de Argentina en base a información proveniente de una encuesta a una muestra de 257 empresas de Buenos Aires, Córdoba y la Provincia de Santa Fe. A través del análisis factorial de correspondencias múltiples y del análisis de cluster, se demuestra la existencia de una asociación directa entre los indicadores de producto innovador y un conjunto de variables que miden los Esfuerzos de innovación encarados por las firmas, las Vinculaciones establecidas con otros agentes del sistema, el nivel de Competencias Tecnológicas acumuladas y ciertas características del Proceso de Trabajo. Adicionalmente, se intentó demostrar que la capacidad de introducir innovaciones está fuertemente relacionada con el nivel de educación formal de la mano de obra, pero el análisis efectuado no encontró evidencia que respalde esa hipótesis.http://www.revistacts.net/files/Volumen%208%20-%20N%C3%BAmero%2024/FINAL/NumerocompletoenbajaCORREG.pdfpublishedVersionFil: Motta, Jorge José. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Fil: Zavaleta, Leticia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Fil: Llinás, Irene. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Fil: Luque, Ana Lucía. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Organización Industria

Hyperferritinemia and diagnosis of type 1 Gaucher disease

Given the difficulties in diagnosis of type 1 GD in adults because of disease heterogeneity and lack of awareness, appropriate diagnostic algorithms or flow-charts starting from non-specific findings may help. Case reports help to establish the usefulness of our proposed flowchart in patients presenting with \u201cunexplained hyperferritinemia\u201d

Reprogramming human A375 amelanotic melanoma cells by catalase overexpression: Reversion or promotion of malignancy by inducing melanogenesis or metastasis

Advanced melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. It is highlymetastatic and dysfunctional in melanogenesis; two processes that are induced byH2O2. This work presents a melanoma cell model with low levels of H2O2 inducedby catalase overexpression to study differentiation/dedifferentiation processes.Three clones (A7, C10 and G10) of human A375 amelanotic melanoma cells withquite distinct phenotypes were obtained. These clones faced H2O2 scavenging by two main strategies. One developed by clone G10 where ROS increased. This resulted in G10 migration and metastasis associated with the increased of cofilin-1 and CAP1. The other strategy was observed in clone A7 and C10, where ROS levels were maintained reversing malignant features. Particularly, C10 was not tumorigenic, while A7 reversed the amelanotic phenotype by increasing melanin content and melanocytic differentiation markers. These clones allowed the study of potential differentiation and migration markers and its association with ROS levels in vitro and in vivo, providing a new melanoma model with different degree of malignancy.Fil: Bracalente, María Candelaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Salguero, Noelia. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Notcovich, Cintia Karina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Muller, Carolina. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Da Motta, Leonardo L.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Klamt, Fabio. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Ibañez, Irene Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Duran, Hebe Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; Argentin